T h e w o r l d ’ s l e a d i n g

e n g l i s h e x a m f o r
l aw y e r s , l aw s T u d e n T s

a n d l e g a l T r a n s l a T o r s

We are members of the International Division of the Law Society of England & Wales
inTernaTional

l aw y e r ?
a s k y o u r s e l f ...
Could you
amend a share

PurChase
agreemenT
worTh $100 million

in english?
 T o l e s f o u n da T i o n

i f yo u a r e j u s T s T a r T i n g o u T i n l e g a l e n g l i s h , s T a r T h e r e .
a True Professional does noT build his house on sand.

abouT The exam

The Foundation exam is the FIRST step in successful professional development with TOLES.

sTarT here
The Foundation exam is the recommended starting point in legal English training for international law students. For more
experienced lawyers, this may be the correct starting point for those who wish to begin training in professional legal English
while continuing to develop English skills in general.

ConTenT
The exam has one paper; legal reading and writing. The focus of the exam is on testing the absolute linguistic accuracy
required of lawyers in a modern international office. This means accuracy in two main areas: technical legal vocabulary and
grammar. Vocabulary from commercial deals, company documents, commercial contracts, intellectual property
agreements, financial documents and forms of business are tested, as well as legal terminology from other areas.

a bridge beT ween universiT y and work

The Foundation exam has been described by employers as ‘an excellent bridge for international law students between the
world of university and the world of work’. As well as testing legal English, the Foundation exam develops an awareness of
the real tasks a lawyer carries out in an international legal office and focuses on real and recent legal developments and
cases. For this reason, even learners with advanced general English can benefit from the Foundation exam.

level of general english

The level of English needed for this exam is elementary-beginner level. The priority at this stage is to make sure that
a genuinely strong foundation of legal English is in place in order to allow learners to progress successfully to the next
level. This strong foundation includes consolidating basic grammar before moving on to more complicated language
structures. The exam is based on absolute accuracy in written English, not fluency. This means that when learners answer
questions we expect their use of English to be very good and they will lose points for imperfect grammar as well as for
vocabulary mistakes.

basiCs
Time allowed: 90 minutesSkills tested: Legal reading and writing (90 minutes)
Focus: Practical legal vocabulary in authentic situations; consolidation of basic grammar
Appropriate level of general English: Elementary-Advanced
Training materials: ‘The Lawyer’s English Language Coursebook’ and other legal English books/materials available at an
introductory level
Score: The maximum score possible at Foundation level is 100
Certificate: TOLES Foundation with grade explanation
Could you
n e g o T i a T e wa r r a n T i e s

and indemniTies

in english
wiTh a leading

london
l aw f i r m ?
 Toles higher

i T ’ s a l l a b o u T aC C u r aC y. y e s ; yo u k n ow a l o T o f l e g a l vo C a b u l a r y. b u T a r e yo u
P u T T i n g T h a T vo C a b u l a r y T o g e T h e r P r o P e r ly ? i n C o n T r aC T s ? i n e m a i l s ? i n l e T T e r s ?
aC C u r aC y i s a s i m P o r T a n T a s f l u e n C y T o a l aw f i r m .

abouT The exam

Our Higher exam is the SECOND step in successful professional development with TOLES.

b u i l d i n g o n a s T ro n g f o u n da T i o n
The Higher exam builds on the language skills and knowledge of practical legal vocabulary acquired at foundation level.
The Higher exam moves learners to the next stage and requires the ability to deal with more complex authentic legal
documents and scenarios while also continuing to focus on a strict attention to detail and grammatical accuracy.

ConTenT
The exam has 2 papers; a reading and writing paper and a listening paper. The reading and writing paper requires a more
active use of language than the Foundation exam, and requires learners to deal confidently with complex and recent
commercially-relevant case studies, extracts from contracts and a professional letter. It continues to test practical and
useful legal vocabulary and requires the ability to provide precise definitions for very common words from commercial
practice. It also demands a good knowledge of the register of language, and asks learners to improve informal English and
make it more appropriate and professional.

The listening paper consists of listening to conversations between two or more lawyers or a lawyer and a client and answer
questions based on understanding. The topics covered are very current and deal with situations that working lawyers
experience frequently or topics that are of international interest. This continues the idea of the TOLES exams encouraging
commercial awareness rather than an academic or theoretical knowledge of law.

level of general english

The level of English needed for this exam is intermediate-high intermediate level. The tasks at this level all use authentic,
challenging general English and we recommend that exam candidates study some additional grammar as well as our training
in legal English in order to score highly.

basiCs
Time allowed: 135 minutes approximately (depending on variations in the listening test)
Skills tested: Legal reading and writing (90 minutes); legal listening (30-45 minutes)
Focus: Practical reading, writing and listening skills in authentic legal situations
Appropriate level of general English: Intermediate-Advanced
Training materials: ‘The Lawyer’s English Language Coursebook’ and other legal English books/materials available at an
intermediate level. Additional grammar study recommended
Score: The maximum score possible at Higher level is 100
Certificate: TOLES Higher with grade explanation
Could you
summarise The
findings of The due

diligenCe ProCess

in english
for a ClienT
w h o wa n T s
only The mosT
e s s e n T i a l faC T s ?
 T o l e s a d va n C e d

T h e l e g a l e n g l i s h g o l d s Ta n da r d . i T m e a s u r e s yo u r a b i l i T y T o u s e au T h e n T i C
l a n g uag e a T T h e m o s T C h a l l e n g i n g l e v e l . d o w e l l i n T h i s e x a m a n d yo u w i l l b e a n
a s s e T T o T h o s e l aw f i r m s T h a T r e a l ly m e a n b u s i n e s s . yo u k n ow w h o T h e y a r e .

abouT The exam

Our Advanced exam is the THIRD step in successful professional development with TOLES.

r e aC h i n g T h e s Ta n da r d e m P l oy e r s d e m a n d
The TOLES Advanced exam was created and then developed in consultation with leading commercial law firms and we
consider it to be the gold standard of legal English achievement. TOLES Advanced was initially created at the request of a
major commercial law firm in London who required a method of testing the English of international interns and new
associates in its international offices. This required researching the tasks international lawyers were required to carry out
in English and making a careful analysis of how best to test proficiency in those areas. The result was the TOLES Advanced
exam. Since its creation it has been trusted by legal employers everywhere as a measure of a lawyer’s commercial legal
English skills rather than his or her academic legal English skills.

ConTenT
The exam has one paper; legal reading and writing. The exam measures a candidate’s skills against a native English-speaking
lawyer. In other words, any candidate scoring in our ‘Gold’ category genuinely has very similar legal English skills to a native
English-speaking solicitor, barrister or attorney. The exam has a heavy focus on the vocabulary and grammar required for
contract drafting. It also encourages knowledge of the plain English style of writing favoured these days by leading
commercial law firms. A working knowledge of the difference between ‘legalese’ and ‘plain English’ is essential to doing
well in this exam. The candidates who score very well at advanced level show an appreciation of the huge importance of
absolute accuracy when working in law, as well as having a strong grasp of technical legal vocabulary. The exam also requires
sensitivity to register and an understanding of how formal and informal English is used in a professional workplace.

level of general english

The level of English needed for this exam is high intermediate-advanced level. The exam measures a candidate’s legal
English skills against the standard required of native English-speaking lawyers.

basiCs
Time allowed: 120 minutes
Skills tested: Legal reading, writing and drafting, knowledge of register and business idiom
Focus: Practical reading, writing and drafting skills in authentic legal situations
Appropriate level of general English: High intermediate - Advanced
Training materials: ‘The Lawyer’s English Language Coursebook’ and other legal English books/materials available at an
advanced level. Some study of commercial contracts and standard terms and conditions is recommended at this level.
Score: The maximum score possible at Advanced level is 500
Certificate: TOLES Advanced with grade explanation
Could you
drafT a formal

leTTer
in english
To The Ceo
of a major
world bank?
 Toles Training and exams

T h e T o l e s e x a m b o dy i s a m e m b e r o f T h e i n T e r n a T i o n a l
d i v i s i o n o f T h e l aw s o C i e T y o f e n g l a n d & wa l e s .

The TOLES organisation is a private legal training company which was created as a direct result of extensive consultations
with a leading commercial firm. In confidential talks with us, partners in the firm complained that law graduates holding a
wide variety of English language certificates lacked the level of English required to carry out essential legal tasks. TOLES
materials and exams were developed in 2000 as a direct solution to this problem.

We are members of the International Division of the Law Society of England and Wales and our training materials and
exams are very well-known among law firms and very highly valued by them. We are not affiliated to any university or
English language organisation simply because they cannot guide and inform us in the way other members of our Law
Society division are able to.

Please note that TOLES is intended to assist working lawyers and there are other legal English courses and exams which are
more academic, more fluency based, and therefore more suitable for international law graduates who plan to take an
MA or a PhD in law.

w e d o n o T o f f e r a n e x a m d e s i g n e d o r w r i T T e n b y aC a d e m i C s w h o T h i n k T h e y k n ow
w h a T a l aw y e r n e e d s . a f T e r a l l , T h e w o r l d o f T r a d i T i o n a l a C a d e m i a i s l i g h T y e a r s
awa y f r o m T h e m o d e r n l e g a l e n v i r o n m e n T. s o , h o w d o w e d e C i d e o n w h a T T o T e s T
i n T h e T o l e s e x a m s ? w e g o T o l o n d o n a n d w e a s k T h e l aw y e r s .
Could you
Ta k e Pa rT i n a
ConferenCe Call

in english
w i T h l aw y e r s
aCross Three
jurisdiCTions?
l aw y e r s a n d T r a n s l a T o r s w h o w o r k
for The following organisaTions
h av e a l r e a d y T a k e n T h e T o l e s e x a m s :

Sony Ericsson
Daimler Chrysler
Mullerat
Banco de Portugal
Linklater Oppenhoff & Rädler
European Court of Justice
European Central Bank
Shearman and Sterling
Clifford Chance
KPMG
Bonn & Schmitt & Steichen
Barcelona Bar Association
Stibbe Advocaten en Notarissen
Leasfinanz AG
Brussels Bar Association
European Law Students Association
Alcatel Business Solutions
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Baker & McKenzie
 Cuatrïcasas
Oostvogels & Pfister
IPSOA
Hemmer.club AG
International Criminal Court
Deutsche Bundesbank
Qatar Steel Company
Qatar Petrochemical Corporation
Heerema Marina Contractors Ltd
AzBTC
United Law Associates
Lahore Tax Bar Association
NCCI
Man Investments AG
Impress Metal Packaging SA
AgipKCO
Wintershall Libya
DuPont
Nordea Bank AB, Denmark
Allen & Overy
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Siemens
in oTher
w o r d s...
is your
legal english
good enough
for The besT
l aw f i r m s
in The world?
The Pine Tree Centre
Durham Road
Birtley
Co Durham
DH3 2TD
England

Tel/Fax: +44 (0)191 492 0404

email: info@toles.co.uk
website: www.toleslegal.com